


Partnership: Impossible

by brioche



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M, i don't know why it's rated m yet don't think too hard about it, most of the other characters show up too but too lazy to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 15:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brioche/pseuds/brioche
Summary: "Do you need backup?! I can meet you at your location as fast as I can.”If Jou could see the scene unfolding before Yamato’s eyes, he would know the answer is no. Judging by how badly Greymon is beating its opponent into submission, Yamato doesn’t even thinkheneeded to mobilize as backup in the first place, but he’s already here, standing in the darkness besides the collapsed bridge after abandoning his own mission, watching dumbly as some stranger and his Digimon neutralize the threat in his stead. He’s going to hear an earful from headquarters about this for sure.“Uh,” Yamato drones out to fill the silence in their call before Jou thinks he’s hung up, and the other man cheers with a triumphant punch into the air as Greymon winds up for the final blow, sucking in a deep breath that leaves embers gathering between its fangs. “I, uh… don’t think that’s necessary. Seems under control to me.”





	Partnership: Impossible

“Status update, Ishida.”

The voice crackling through the static from the radio transceiver installed in the dashboard of the car draws Yamato’s attention from the nightscape whizzing by outside the window. It’s been relaxing not having to drive since Jou insisted taking on that role since the two of them were assigned as partners last month. Yamato gets the impression it’s because the only one Jou would entrust his life to behind the wheel is himself. To call him a worrywart would be an understatement – Jou was late to their first meeting because he double backed to his apartment when he was halfway to headquarters to make sure he remembered to turn off his oven. Had their roles been reversed now, Yamato is sure Jou would be yelling for him to slow down from the passenger’s seat, clinging to the handle on the inside of the roof, and slamming on an invisible brake. He had enough of that with his paranoid driving instructor ten years ago.

Yamato unhooks the microphone and brings it to his lips, curling a finger around the button on its side as he answers Nishijima. “We’ve just entered Nerima City. Should be coming up on the meeting point in fifteen minutes, probably less.”

“Perfect. Let me know when the cat’s in the bag.”

“Sir, that’s… not the right phrase. It’s the cat’s _out_ of the bag. And that’s the opposite of what we want. You know, top secret mission and all.”

Nishijima laughs, and Yamato holds in a groan – he knows he can’t disrespect his boss, but sometimes it’s a real struggle when he’s making stupid jokes, especially when they don’t even make sense. He’s never been one for fooling around during missions and is glad that he can at least see eye to eye with Jou about _this_. “Well, just make sure you bring those cats home, Ishida! You, too, Kido. Over and out.”

“Yes, Nishijima, sir!” Jou exclaims, but it’s too late because Nishijima has already hung up. Yamato returns the microphone to its holder and leans back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head, and Jou shoots him a confused frown as they wait out a red light. “Wait, what cats? I thought we were escorting the new transfers from the Hikarigaoka division over to the Odaiba headquarters?”

“We are,” Yamato replies simply.

“The new transfers are cats?”

“No.”

“Wait, then what is–”

“Light’s green, Jou.”

Jou hits the gas in a panic, but the acceleration is still painfully slow – Yamato definitely misjudged their estimated time of arrival. He really should have seen this coming considering that during their first mission together to take care of a Seadramon terrorizing the Odaiba beach, Jou drove at the _exact_ speed limit the entire way despite the fact that, as a governmental organization, members of the Incorporated Administrative Agency are in the clear to do whatever it takes to complete their assignments as quickly and efficiently as possible. Yamato had told Jou to _hurry the fuck up_ because who knew what kind of destruction the rogue Seadramon was causing since appearing in the real world, but Jou wouldn’t have any of it. Thankfully, the beach had already been evacuated by the time they arrived – and Ikkakumon was a great asset in helping Garurumon defeat the aquatic threat – but even since then, Yamato still sometimes finds himself in disagreement with his new partner while they’re in the middle of a heated assignment. At least Jou has lasted longer than his previous partner, and the one before that, and the one before that… and Yamato has tried to learn to bite his tongue before snapping, as well.

A buzzing from Yamato’s pocket makes him pull out his phone to check it, and he’s greeted with a message from Gabumon. It’s comforting to know that his Digimon partner is always with him ever since the agency’s local tech wizard Koushirou completed a program to upload and download them from the protected server linked to their cell phones, but Yamato can’t help but to feel bad having to keep Gabumon locked up like this while they’re in public. Gabumon swears he doesn’t mind, but Yamato can tell he’s much happier once they’ve returned home from headquarters and he’s free to roam Yamato’s apartment. Not to mention Yamato enjoys the company as well – having Gabumon around to hug is far preferable compared to having his friend stuffed in his pocket.

_Are you excited to meet the new transfers to our division? :)_ Gabumon asks, and Yamato shifts in his seat, trying to get comfortable despite how constricting his suit feels. He would unbutton it while in the car, but Jou would probably make a comment about _unprofessionalism_ , so he refrains to prevent the discussion.

_No_ , Yamato replies because there’s no point in lying, _you know I’m not exactly a social butterfly_

_But you do fine talking to everyone else at HQ :(_

_Convos of necessity not by choice_

_Well I’m sure they’ll be nice people! Anyone with a Digimon partner can’t be bad_

Yamato smiles down at his screen, remembering a time before the wild Digimon attacks when he was also young and naïve, but that was over fifteen years ago. He has had plenty of time to learn what an unforgiving place this world can be, especially after the incident that stole his brother from him.

_Can I meet them once we get there? :)_ Gabumon continues, and Yamato would never have it in him to say no.

_Of course_ , he answers immediately, _I’ll let you know when we’ve arrived_

When Yamato sets his phone down onto his lap, he realizes that Jou is in the middle of trying to make small talk with him and pales because he only caught the tail end of the conversation – if the one-way monologue could be called that. “…And that’s why I have a hard time with cadavers,” Jou is explaining while they wait for pedestrians to finish their trip across the crosswalk, and Yamato questions if this topic is even _small talk_ anymore. “Maybe that’s why I wound up here instead of going to medical school. But somehow I feel like I see the same amount of blood out here that I would even if I did end up becoming a doctor! At least I haven’t fainted on the job yet.”

“Not exactly eager to witness a first offense,” Yamato responds with a snort – carrying Jou’s unconscious body back to headquarters is the last way he wants to spend his night – and as a soft guitar riff from the radio fills the space between them, he taps his fingers against his knee to the beat.

“I’m not eager to commit one, either!” Jou exclaims, and Yamato shakes his head a bit with a smile. “Well, not that this would actually be my first time fainting. When I was taking my entrance exam for university I ran out of time at the end. I still had a whole page that I didn’t manage to fill out! I didn’t even make it up to the front of the room to hand in the test when the proctor called out that time was up. I just up and fainted on the spot.”

“Are you sure _you’re_ the one who should be driving us places with that track record?”

“Oh, yes! I’m far too concerned about staying vigilant behind the wheel to let myself faint.”

“…I don’t think it works like that.”

“Don’t worry, Yamato. I’d never faint while driving.”

Yamato raises an eyebrow at him. “Never doesn’t exist. Anything can happen, Jou. Including you fainting right now.”

“Well. You must be a real riot at parties!”

“I don’t do parties.”

“Good! Neither do I.” Jou nods in approval, and Yamato can’t help but to laugh. “I don’t have a problem with drinking, as long as it’s done responsibly. But that doesn’t happen at parties considering what I’ve heard about them. I never did go to one during university… Well, I never got invited to any in the first place, either. But if I had, I sure wouldn’t have gone! Way too busy studying. You don’t get into medical school by laying on some lawn somewhere blacked out on a Sunday morning after drinking all night.”

“Still sounds like you’ve blacked out for dumber reasons,” Yamato comments, but before Jou can protest, they’re both interrupted by a distress signal transmitted to their radio that catches Jou off guard to the point of slamming on the brakes. Yamato jerks forward, his seat belt digging into him as he reaches for the volume knob to turn it down, and after he shoots Jou a glare for the whiplash they continue driving along at the exact speed limit.

“S–Sorry,” Jou murmurs as Yamato fishes out his phone which displays the location of the distress call, and his eyes widen when he sees just how close it is. Initially, he was worried that it stemmed from the new recruits they’re en route to pick up, but the trouble is elsewhere, at a nearby bridge. It can’t possibly be good, especially since according to his map of Hikarigaoka, there are apartment complexes right next to it. He taps the pin sticking out of the bridge, but there’s no further information to display regarding the cry for help – worrisome because that means there must not have been any time to even type in the slightest description. Someone needs them right now.

“Pull over,” Yamato demands, voice level as he slides his phone back into his pocket and looks out the window, trying to see if the bridge is visible from here – even though the street lamps illuminate the dark night, there’s no luck seeing past all the towering skyscrapers.

“What?!” Jou questions louder than the distress signal still beeping from their radio and those of all the other agents who may be nearby, and Yamato glances back at him.

“I said pull over. I’m responding to this call.”

“What?!” Jou repeats, and Yamato hopes this conversation isn’t going to turn into an echo chamber. “No, someone else can get it. We have our own mission straight from headquarters, Yamato! We need to make sure that the new transfers are picked up safely and brought back to Odaiba.”

“And you’re gonna ignore the safety of someone else nearby who’s in immediate danger to do it?! That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Nishijima trusted us with this job! I’m sure there are other people in the Hikarigaoka division who can respond to that distress call, but we’re the only ones that have been assigned to complete this one. Our help is needed at the pickup location. We can stop by after to make sure everything is okay, but for now someone else will handle this.”

“Yeah, because someone else helped my brother when he needed it,” Yamato snaps with a glare, immediately silencing any further argument from Jou, but judging from how he doesn’t slow down the car, he’s still not budging from his stance. It haunts Yamato to this day – that dark night when they were both children, the attack from the Devimon took his brother’s life, his parents’ divorce after the funeral that left him with only hazy memories of his mother preserved in old photographs. Yamato still dreams about it, watching helplessly as his brother is killed over and over like the climax of a horror film, and there’s no way he’s about to let someone else be subjected to the same kind of pain, both the pain Takeru must have suffered and the pain he still endures himself. “…I don’t need your help,” he concludes. “I’ll do it myself.”

Yamato unbuckles his seat belt, hearing Jou’s startled gasp as it slides off of him, and pays it no mind. “That’s not safe! Buckle back up!” Jou cries out in a panic, but to his horror Yamato does the opposite and reaches for the door handle. “Yamato, no. Yamato! Stop!” he exclaims but ultimately is the one who stops, and as the car slams to a halt Yamato pops the door open and climbs outside before slamming it shut with a huff. “Yamato, please!” Jou calls out, his muffled voice growing more clear as the passenger window rolls down, but Yamato doesn’t look back, already busy bolting down the street in the direction of the signal. “This is extremely reckless! You don’t even know what the call is for! What if it’s something too dangerous to handle on your own?! Yamato!”

As he weaves through the people on the sidewalk headed in the opposite direction, Yamato’s phone rings from inside his pocket. He sighs at the sight of Jou’s name beneath the words _incoming call_. There’s no way that Jou is daring to talk on the phone while driving, so he must still be pulled over on the side of the road. Why not come and fucking lend a hand, then, because the faster this gets done, the faster Yamato can return to his actual mission. If he answers, he knows he’s just going to get his ear chewed off, so Yamato lets Jou’s call go to voicemail and contacts Gabumon instead, still waiting in Koushirou’s server.

“Yamato?” Gabumon begins, his voice tinged with worry, and it’s a nice contrast to the scolding Jou had just tried to deliver. “Is something wrong? I saw the distress signal.”

“It’s from a different location than where we’re supposed to be headed,” Yamato explains, bumping shoulders with the people fleeing from the loud crashing sounds and clouds of debris in the distance as he approaches whatever threat awaits, “but I’m going anyways. I can’t stand by and do nothing while someone might be in trouble. Sorry that you always have to just tag along with me.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Yamato. That’s what partners do for each other. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth!”

Yamato smiles – what did he do to deserve such a wonderful Digimon? “Thanks, Gabumon. I’ll let you out once I’m free from this crowd of people.”

“Okay! Are Jou and Gomamon coming, too?”

His smile fades as quickly as it appeared. He’s not looking to get lectured right now, especially not from the one friend he’s always been able to complain to. “No. Jou’s still heading to the rendezvous point. It’s just us.”

“Yamato… you know that Mr. Nishijima won’t like it. What’s the point of having a human partner to work with if you barely stick together on the job?”

“It’s not my fault he makes stupid decisions.”

“Isn’t Jou the… fifth? Maybe sixth person you’ve been assigned to? I’ve kind of lost count. And it’s barely been a month! I thought you two were getting along, too.”

“About some things. But not what matters.”

Gabumon sighs. He clearly wants to say more but doesn’t; when it comes down to it, he never _can_ argue with Yamato for very long. He’s so supportive – sometimes to a fault – but even though that may be bad, Yamato isn’t complaining. “Okay,” he concedes as Yamato slides around the side of a building, darting through the dark alley between parked bicycles and stacked cartons. “I guess it’s not really the time to talk about this. Let’s answer the distress call fast so we can go back to help Jou!”

“Of course,” Yamato agrees, freezing at the sound of a piercing roar from the direction of the bridge he can make out through the dim crack of light at the end of the alleyway, and after he taps his phone’s screen a few times he unlocks the server gate, leaving Gabumon free to hop through from the digital space. “Long time no see,” Yamato jokes, crouching down to give his partner a quick hug – Gabumon’s fur tickles his nose and makes him want to sneeze, but it’s a welcome sensation.

“Really? But we just baked cookies together last night.”

“…Was kidding. C’mon, let’s go.”

It’s comforting to hear Gabumon’s footsteps trailing after him as Yamato exits the alley – to know that at least _someone_ will always be there for him – but only a moment later he’s already dodging a teetering lamppost as it topples to the ground in the midst of the wreckage. Yamato dashes to the side, dragging Gabumon along with him by his hand, and barely has time to assess how narrowly the bent pole missed falling onto them before a screech draws his gaze skyward.

It’s a Digimon he recognizes from Koushirou’s database: a Parrotmon, hovering high above the bridge which has already been reduced to a pile of unrecognizable rubble in the darkness brought about from the broken street lamps. It screeches – a warning, maybe, not that it’ll be heeded – but it’s different from the deep bellow that Yamato had heard earlier. Yet it doesn’t look like the Parrotmon is paying him any attention. It’s still focused on the bridge. Maybe it doesn’t notice them yet, which makes it the perfect opportunity to strike.

“Ready, Gabumon?” Yamato asks, pulling out his Digivice, but Gabumon barely has time to nod before a fireball blasts through the wreckage, narrowly missing the Parrotmon before it disintegrates in the sky.

“What’s that?!” Gabumon blurts as Yamato takes a precautionary step back in confusion, locking his eyes onto the shifting debris.

“Might be another enemy,” he replies in a hushed whisper, wishing he could see more clearly in the night. “Good thing we came. Looks like they’re distracted with each other, but we still better be careful.”

“Are we taking them both on by ourselves?”

“Let’s see how it plays out first before doing what we have to–”

Yamato is interrupted by a crashing sound as a pair of horns rises from the pile of fragmented cement, and he instinctively takes a step in front of Gabumon even though he knows that, if anything, the one who would need to be protected here is himself. A reptilian figure which looks far more menacing than the other, feathered threat takes shape in the darkness, and Parrotmon lets loose another mighty screech before jolts of lighting spark at its head – a territorial warning for its attacker. The flashes of light illuminate the scene and leaves Yamato gawking at what he sees – another person standing beneath the second Digimon amidst the mess of sharp claws and teeth. There’s no way to be discreet about their approach anymore, not when someone is in danger, so Yamato sucks in a breath and turns to his partner. “I need you to digivolve to Garurumon and run in there to save that person before they get hurt.”

“Of course,” Gabumon replies, but it may already be too late. Parrotmon launches its attack, striking at its grounded target with a bolt of lightning, and Yamato barely has a chance to react before he freezes at the sight of the ferocious lizard Digimon protecting the other human with its own body, barely letting on that it’s even in pain as the lightning lingers, crackling against its scales long after the attack has already ended.

“Nice defense!” a voice yells, and it takes Yamato a moment to realize that the man is talking to the Digimon. That’s strange – the only people Yamato has seen working with Digimon are others from the agency, so this person can’t be an ordinary civilian. “Now time for the counter. Get ‘em, Greymon!”

A second fireball rips through the sky, slamming squarely into Parrotmon’s chest, and as it falls limply to the ground, Yamato’s phone jumps to life in his pocket, blaring his ringtone above the bird’s wounded cries. He almost doesn’t answer because he’s too caught up watching the other person delegating orders to the Digimon – his partner Digimon? – but when Gabumon gently shakes his leg and motions at his pocket, Yamato is brought back from his reverie and picks up with a tap of his finger.

“Yamato!” Jou cries out before Yamato has even brought his phone to his ear – maybe he doesn’t even have to, considering how loud Jou is shouting in his panic. He always was one to overreact. “How could you just run off like that! And not answer my other calls, either! How can you be so irresponsible? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, mom,” Yamato replies, watching as Parrotmon attempts to take off again to no avail, for Greymon has already rushed forward and attacked its wings with a mighty headbutt, injuring them with its horns. “I looked both ways before crossing the street and didn’t talk to any strangers, either.” The tail end of that sentence would likely be changing in a few minutes, though.

“It’s not the time, Yamato!” Jou scolds, and Yamato rolls his eyes with a sigh. “Anyways, I went to the meeting point and picked up most of the new transfers safely, except for, um… one hiccup. It’s kind of a big problem, but we’ll worry about that after your situation is resolved. Do you need backup?! I can meet you at your location as fast as I can.”

If Jou could see the scene unfolding before Yamato’s eyes, he would know the answer is no. Judging by how badly Greymon is beating its opponent into submission, Yamato doesn’t even think _he_ needed to mobilize as backup in the first place, but he’s already here, standing in the darkness besides the collapsed bridge after abandoning his own mission, watching dumbly as some stranger and his Digimon neutralize the threat in his stead. He’s going to hear an earful from headquarters about this for sure.

“Uh,” Yamato drones out to fill the silence in their call before Jou thinks he’s hung up, and the other man cheers with a triumphant punch into the air as Greymon winds up for the final blow, sucking in a deep breath that leaves embers gathering between its fangs. “I, uh… don’t think that’s necessary. Seems under control to me.”

“You mean you already took care of it yourself?”

“…Wouldn’t say that.”

“Then what do you mean it’s–”

“I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point when I’m done here,” Yamato interjects, hanging up before Jou can ask any more questions, and as one last gargantuan fireball crashes into Parrotmon’s body, Yamato lifts an arm to shield his eyes from the bright explosion and cloud of dust that follows.

“Great job, Agumon!” a voice exclaims, and when Yamato lowers his arm he finds Parrotmon unmoving on the ground, scorched feathers scattered around its body. Greymon is nowhere to be seen; instead, a much smaller orange Digimon – Agumon, Yamato assumes – is waving its arms excitedly at the other man’s feet, clearly enjoying the affectionate pats on the head it’s receiving. They look just as close as he is with Gabumon, but definitely not closer. That would be impossible. “You sure took care of that big birdbrain. Now we can return to the others after sending it back to the Digital World–”

“Hey, you!” Yamato yells as he starts walking over to them, and Gabumon makes some sort of sound in protest to his abrasive approach before chasing after him. “Why would you send a distress signal when you didn’t even need help?"

The man glances back at him, and as Yamato approaches his outfit becomes clear – the same black suit issued from headquarters, except unbuttoned without a care and his tie hastily thrown around his neck with a messy knot. He looks from Gabumon to Yamato and more specifically Yamato’s frown before shooting both of them a grin as he gets to his feet. “I didn’t. Was responding to it, too. Not that it was a race, but… I totally beat you here. Helped the civilians get back to their apartments safely while my buddy Agumon distracted that rogue Digimon, and thankfully no one got hurt. This little guy can handle anything, even giant angry birds.” When Yamato reaches him, he offers his hand in greeting, and Yamato’s eyes fall on it in contemplation. “I’m Taichi Yagami, from the Hikarigaoka division.”

“I’m Agumon! It’s nice to meet you!” his partner exclaims, coming over to mirror them and hold his own claw out to Gabumon, and Gabumon glances up at Yamato before shyly taking it.

“…Yamato Ishida. Odaiba division,” Yamato replies, also accepting the show of good will being presented to him, and Taichi squeezes his hand before giving it a confident shake. “This is my partner, Gabumon.”

“Odaiba? Sure is a long way to go to answer a distress call,” Taichi comments, and as Yamato slides his hands into his pockets following the end of their handshake, the realization dawns on them simultaneously. “…You bailed on the rendezvous to help, too, huh.”

“Like hell I’m gonna let people get hurt to go babysit some transfers instead,” Yamato replies with a snort, and Taichi’s grin returns, lighting up his face.

“Big talk from the guy who stood around doing nothing while me and Agumon kicked ass by ourselves.”

“Big talk from the guy who almost got crushed by a bridge.”

“Touché!” Taichi laughs, folding his arms behind his head, and it’s a welcome sound, especially after such a tense night. “Watch out, Agumon,” he whispers not-so-softly. “We’ve got a cheeky one on our hands.”

“Let’s go meet up with the others, Yagami,” Yamato declares, ignoring that last comment as he begins to walk off, and Agumon clamors loudly, asking what _cheeky_ means.

“Should probably give ‘em a heads up,” Taichi jokes as Gabumon runs over to catch up, seeming happy to have made a friend – Yamato is still unsure if he can share the sentiment. “Two no-good troublemakers, directly inbound.”


End file.
